Officials with the Montrose Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone held a second open house Aug. 3 for the controversial West Alabama Street reconstruction project, giving neighborhood residents and business owners a chance to give feedback and receive answers to questions submitted ahead of the meeting.
About the project
The West Alabama Street reconstruction project includes a full roadway reconstruction of the 1.6-mile stretch of road between Shepherd Drive and Spur 527. Montrose TIRZ officials have said in previous presentations that the project aims to improve mobility and drainage while promoting a pedestrian-friendly environment.
The scope of the project involves full concrete roadway reconstruction, the installation of city-compliant 6-foot sidewalks, new street lighting, updated traffic signals and establishing larger storm sewers to help with drainage.
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However, the Montrose's side of the approximately $30 million project was met with some pushback during the first in-person open house in June 2025, with residents and neighborhood advocates asking for project officials to include a shared-use path and/or protected bike lane, which had appeared in earlier iterations of the project. Despite public support, board officials and engineers said a bike lane would not be feasible as the city has to maintain the existing 12-foot car lanes.
Latest update
Project manager David Greaney gave the most recent update on the project ahead of the public comment period during the Aug. 3 meeting. The West Alabama Street project is currently in the design phase, which is anticipated to last until the end of the year. As of early August, significant design changes have not been made from what was presented last summer.
Construction is anticipated to begin in early 2027. Project officials said the construction process will include leaving one lane of traffic open in each direction, one sidewalk open for pedestrian access and allowing access at all times to remain open on at least one driveway per property. Greaney said advanced communication will be given to property owners ahead of any changes.
Public input
After the update, Montrose TIRZ and project officials answered some of the questions submitted by residents ahead of the meeting, including those related to crosswalks, gutters, artwork, tree preservation and turn lanes. To see how TIRZ officials responded to these questions, check out the Q&A portion of the video here, which starts around the 40-minute mark.
Some questions were also submitted by residents during the meeting that Greaney and other project officials answered, including:
- How wide are the lanes? Answer: 11 feet wide.
- Are you taking land from businesses to create 6-foot sidewalks? Answer: No, there is no right-of-way acquisition in this project.
- Can you confirm there is any scope for changes based on suggestions, or has that window now closed? Answer: The typical section is set. We can't change lane configuration or safety measures. Suggestions may be considered for more minor improvements.
- What is the city's recommended route for safely commuting from Montrose to the Galleria via bicycle? Answer: West Alabama is currently designed to accommodate pedestrians and motorists but not bicycle facilities right now.
- Will there be calming, on-street infrastructure for pedestrians like raised crosswalks? Answer: Raised crosswalks are not permitted, but there are other safety measures that are being implemented, like signals.
Project officials answered questions until the meeting was cut off around 8 p.m. To hear the full list of questions and answers, visit the recap video, where questions start around the one-hour mark.
Going forward
The question and comment period will remain open through Aug. 17. Residents can continue to submit questions via the Google form on the West Alabama Street project webpage on the Montrose TIRZ website, or they can email board officials at [email protected].
Board President Matt Brollier said all questions will be collected and answers will be posted on the website in the following weeks.
